44 technological innovation and public sector research

Between 2010 and 2012, 37% of companies with at least 10 employees in the sectors of industry, wholesale trade, transport, information-communication, scientific and technical or financial activities implemented technological innovations. Of these, seven out of ten were engaged in R&D activities. In addition, 14% of technologically-innovative companies were in partnership with the public research sector, contributing 70% of intramural R&D expenditure by these companies in 2012.

From 2010 to 2012, in the sectors of industry, wholesale trade, transport, information-communication, scientific and technical activities and financial activities, 37% of commercial companies based in France with 10 or more employees implemented technological innovations (chart 44.01), i.e. they introduced a new product or a new process onto the market or carried out activities to produce a new product or process. For 10% of companies, their innovation involved only a product, for 10% only a process, for 14% both product and process and 3% undertook work with the aim of producing a product or process innovation, but without bringing a new product or process onto the market. The most innovating sector in technological terms was that of information and communication: 54% of companies in this sector produced a technological innovation between 2010 and 2012. The proportion of innovative companies increased with their size, from 32% of companies with 10 to 19 employees to 70% of those with 250 employees or more.

Seven out of ten technologically-innovative companies were involved in R&D activities during the period in question (chart 44.02). This percentage was over 80% in companies with 250 or more employees and in the information and communication sector and also in the scientific and technical activities sector. It was a little higher than average in industry but lower in other sectors, especially transport and storage (27%).

Between 2010 and 2012, 14% of technologically-innovative companies developed a partnership with the public research sector as part of these innovations: 6% only with a university or other higher education institution, 2% only with a public R&D body (or a private not-for-profit institution) and 6% with both types of institution (chart 44.03). In contrast, 86% did not cooperate with these institutions as part of their innovation activities. This link was stronger in the scientific and technical activities sector (29%), weaker in wholesale trade (8%) and very weak in transport and storage (2%), a sector with very little R&D. Companies with more than 250 employees also had more frequent links than the others with public research (36%). When sector and size were the same, innovative companies with an international presence, and especially those with a product innovation that was new to the world market (15% of technologically-innovative companies), more often developed partnerships with public research: 35% entered into a public partnership. Companies that did have partners in public research were twice as likely as other companies to receive public financial support for their innovating activities (89%, compared with 43%). Virtually all of them carried out R&D activities, whereas this was the case for only two thirds of other companies.

Companies with partners in public research, which were already more likely to carry out R&D than other companies, spent considerably more on their R&D. They made up 20% of technologically-innovative companies carrying out R&D between 2010 and 2012, but contributed 71% of intramural R&D expenditure by these companies in 2012 (chart 44.04).

Joëlle Chazal